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“Dear children, Today I call you to pray and fast for my intentions, because Satan wants to destroy my plan. Here I began with this parish and invited the entire world. Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call. Therefore, you who have said 'yes,' be strong and resolute.Thank you for having responded to my call".

MEDJUGORJE PARISH OFFICE
SEPTEMBER, 2011

The 22nd International Youth Prayer Festival

in Medjugorje

The 22nd International Youth Festival in Medjugorje, titled “Here is the humble servant of the Lord, may it be to me according to Thy word!”, started in Medjugorje on Monday, August 1st, with the evening prayer programme at the White Dome at the back of the church of St. James.

After prayer of Rosary at 6 p.m., young people from 60 various countries that have arrived up to that evening have introduced themselves. Hosts from parish of Medjugorje, members of Franciscan Youth greeted couple of dozens of thousands of young people, and then Fr. Petar Vlasic, parish priest in the Medjugorje parish greeted all the faithful present. Fr. Ivan Sesar, Provincial of Herzegovina Franciscan Province was the main celebrant of that opening Holy Mass, as in previous years.

The Festival that is conducted by Fr. Danko Perutina is full of prayer, music, lectures and testimonies that are accompanied by the International Choir and Orchestra with more than one hundred players and singers. This Festival is monitored by numerous press members from all continents, and the whole programme is simultaneously translated into eighteen languages. This programme is also live broadcasted by radio “Mir” from Medjugorje and many other radio stations, Internet portals and TV stations.

The late Fr. Slavko Barbaric initiated this Festival back in 1990, by gathering around hundred young people in that year with two guitar players and couple of singers. Every year the number of participants was increasing and at the moment, those numbers are far above all of the other events that are taking place in Medjugorje.

Medjugorje, August 1 – 6, 2011"Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word”(Luke 1:38)

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated on Monday, August 15 with thousands of foreign and local pilgrims who arrived to Medjugorje on that day. So many of them, especially young people walked throughout the whole night from their towns and villages towards Medjugorje.

Information office registered groups from Brazil, Lebanon, Austria, Italy, Germany, the United States, Ireland, England, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Korea, Portugal, as well as from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Nineteen Holy Masses were celebrated throughout the day, six for Croatian pilgrims. Dr. Fr. Ivan Dugandzic was the main celebrant at 7 p.m. Holy Mass. There were sixty priests who concelebrated at that Holy Mass.

AUGUST IN MEDJUGORJE

At the end of August Medjugorje is packed with pilgrims from all over the world. The Information Office registered numerous groups from: Holy Land, Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, England, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Austria and of course, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fr. Pat O’Hagan came from California after having heard of Medjugorje many years ago. “I am deeply impressed with enthusiasm and religion of all of the people who are coming here and I really like this place. I have seen that faith is really strong, that is what I had expected.”

Our journalists met Fr. Anselmo Umoren, member of community of missionaries of Nigeria. He expressed his joy for being here and added: "This place is enabling us to pray, to hope and do penance."

Lisa came from South Africa, and this is her third time in Medjugorje. She was 15 when she heard about the apparitions for the first time. "Medjugorje enriched my faith and trust in God, here, one can really feel higher power that moves this all. There is not much to say, you simply need to be here to feel and experience all of this. Young people are converting, the ones who are no longer on the right way are returning."

Fr. Mihovel is a missionary. He has been in Poland ever since the last year and he has been coming to Medjugorje since 1986. "I confessed for seven hours the other day. I came to confess, but I spent all day confessing. I think that each experience is special and unique in Medjugorje, especially in people and their testimonies."

Each of these testimonies is a new outpoor of grace that has been given to the whole world through Medjugorje for the last thirty years

The best water polo player in the world,

Alex Giorgetti,

came to Medjugorje

The famous Italian water polo player, 24 years old Alex Giorgetti came to Medjugorje. He comes from Savona in Italy, and he is offense player of Pro Recco, as well as the member of men’s Italy National Water Polo Team. They were the champions at the World Championship this year.

Young Alex had a meeting first with Fr. Miljenko ‘teko, the Head of the Information Office in Medjugorje and gave him the water polo ball signed by all of the players of the Italian team. He later shared his life experience with journalist of Radio Station “Mir” Medjugorje. He told us about his conversion that he experienced a year ago when he met Jesus in Mary and is very happy after having completely changed his life.

He lived without prayer and sacraments before his conversion and he said: “Since Italy has not won the World Championship in the last twenty years, I made decision that if we achieve a good result, I would come to Medjugorje and thank Jesus for that. Not that we became the World Championship Winners, but I was awarded as the best player of the Championship. That is why I decided to come and thank Jesus and Our Lady for all of the graces they bestowed upon me. I climbed Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain in my bare feet, and that was such a beautiful experience for me. I feel content and fulfilled and cannot wait to return to Italy so I could witness about the beauty of this place. I arrived here with my twin brother. Before, I never spoke with me; I never told him that I loved him. He never went to church, never prayed and this was the first time here that he went to confession and Holy Mass. I see all of that as fruits of my conversion and I am so happy to see him as joyful as he is, that was never the case in the past. He was not as lucky as I was in my life, because he was born with physical disability and all of that influenced him. Our parents always separated us in everything we were to do. Mother showed more affection to me and I was the one with better clothes, toys, the one who received more candies and sweets throughout the time of our childhood. She could see that I loved sports and that I was talented for water polo and she was always taking me for training practice to swimming pools.

I had perfect life; I was young, pretty looking and successful while my brother was lonely and sad. I was even too selfish to see that. I did not have need to talk to my family because I had everything else in my life: money, girlfriends and successful career. But all of that did not last too long. I ended long relationship that I had with my girlfriend. I loved here sincerely, but she was interested only in money and glory. I rejected invitation from our National Team Coach and I was completely desperate, broke, without family, friends, without girlfriend and career.

I was nearly in the condition of depression. Short afterwards, I got to meet pair of twin brothers who shared their story of conversion with me. Their story touched me deeply and I decided to share with them my own problems, my loneliness and my restlessness. I wanted Jesus to heel me, to change my life and give me peace that I was longing for so deeply. That is when changes started to take place in my life. I confessed, started going to Holy Mass, reading Holy Bible and helping to the poor. My life was changed completely. Relations with my family and other people became different, full of meaning, my career was advancing again and I became a new person. It was simply because God turns everything to good. My family and my friends read about my conversion in newspapers, after I decided to share that with other people and they were truly surprised. The most beautiful thing is when you are able to live the truth and to be what you really are. My new life has just begun and my desire is to meet Jesus more and more with each day. I hope my story will be example to other young people to change their lives and to understand that nothing in their lives makes sense without Jesus.”